Raycom Media’s flagship station, WSFA-TV, in Montgomery, AL, has begun using the Video Technics Apella HDS media server for ingest, asset management and playback of HD news clips and animated graphics with key.
The installation includes an Apella HDS with one input and two output multirate HD-SDI channels, VT Media Exchange software and HD VFW video codecs installed on WSFA’s content creation workstations. The new workflow allows WSFA’s graphics producers to take HD content provided by Raycom, or created locally in Adobe After Effects, and drag and drop it into the VT HotFolder.
The VT Media Exchange software then automatically imports the 300Mb/s MPEG-2 and alpha channel HD files to the Apella HDS for playout with audio, video and key. The Apella HDS supports multiple formats and native codecs, including 10-bit uncompressed video and key, and accepts VDCP automation via WSFA’s existing Snell & Wilcox Kahuna switcher.
According to the WSFA chief engineer, Morris Pollock, the station was looking for an HD server that would fit in its budget to support its news with opens, bumps and daily HD playback of news clips.
For more information, visit www.videotechnics.com.
